Those of us who live in the Midwest love our rolling hills and green fields. We don’t care when people on the coast mock us as living in “flyover” country. We’re happy they keep flying over and leave us to our beautiful corn fields and vibrant urban centers where the traffic isn’t a sea of red lights.

Nevertheless, we take exception when we find out the government may hurt our connectivity, however unintentional. When it comes to staying connected out here on the prairie, we are at risk of suffering from changes coming to several types of connectivity.

Everyone knows the Midwest is in bad shape when it comes to connectivity compared to the rest of the country — from broadband, to TV and radio, to cell-phone service. We endure black-out areas, dropped calls, and dead spots much more than other locales.

That may be a price we are willing to pay to live in such a grand place, but when it means growth and opportunities are passing us by because we are not up to snuff with the technology of the business and educational world, we get a little anxious.

Last year during a trip to Michigan, then-FCC Chair Tom Wheeler said, “spotty service undermines public safety since residents can’t reliably reach 911 during an emergency. Others spoke of how wireless “dead spots” were hurting the local economy by hampering business operations.

The government finished its first incentive auction to free up space on the spectrum for cell-phone providers; however, cell-phone dead spots are not the only trouble facing the Midwest. We also face a very real chance of TV and radio stations going dark as broadcasters are forced to find new channel space during the repack. Congress set up a fund called The Television Broadcasters Relocation Fund to help offset costs and keep local TV and radio on air. However, the fund is not enough to cover the true costs.

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) said he is “very concerned that rural America will be disproportionately harmed if Congress does not take action.” Current FCC Chair Ajit Pai said “it would be necessary, if broadcasters are going to be (harmed) in this repack, that Congress would have to provide additional funding.”

Although the relocation fund was set up strictly for television channels, some estimates show that as many as 678 radio stations are at risk due to the repack and the spectrum auctions. People seem unaware that so many stations might go dark for an unknown amount of time due to an oversight in creating a too-small transition fund. Congress has the opportunity to stand up for us.

Residents of the Midwest rely on radio for all kinds of information due to an increased amount of time in our vehicles and less public transportation. From receiving grain prices and entertainment to local news, radio is a critical part of our lives. Of course, this fix should be led by our senators and congressmen, but will they step up?

Several bipartisan bills have been presented to protect the Midwest from falling further behind in connectivity related to television and radio. One is the Viewer and Listener Protection Act authored by Moran and similar legislation by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.). Representatives Bill Flores (R-Texas) and Gene Green (D-Texas) also have introduced a solution. These bills differ slightly in their approaches on how to fix the problem, but they would all ensure that Middle America doesn’t fall further behind where it counts — our connection to the outside world.

This should not be controversial or partisan. Congress always meant for local consumers to keep their local channels as government attempted to expand services. Unfortunately, the scope of the problem was underestimated, and radio’s troubles virtually were overlooked. The incentive auctions produced nearly $20 billion, with $7 billion of that going to the federal government. Fixing the fund to keep rural America connected will require only a fraction of that profit. It’s a no-brainer.

Steve Sherman of North Liberty is a writer, business owner, and a former Iowa House candidate. Contact: steve@scsherman.com